It is said that a Football game has approximately 4 minutes of action in it. Baseball, surprisingly, a bit more. So when you see the highlights of a game, you are actually watching a significant portion of the action of the game. But part of the thrill of watching the game is not knowing when the ordinary will become extraordinary. Its the surprise factor, the drama, that keeps us attentive for so long for so little.
In the early seventies, bands were experimenting with the concept of “song” and stretching it to great lengths. Yes released two LPs with three songs on each, and one double LP set with four songs. Jethro Tull released one song on one album. And then there is “Supper’s Ready,” Genesis’ ante in the “one song, one side” poker game.
Compiled out of song fragments and woven and patched together, it hangs together loosely like a dream—though the drugs helped in interpretation in those days. The whole, much like a sporting event, could be compressed into the hi-lights, and Genesis has performed it as such. But part of the experience is traveling along the plain, waiting for those breathtaking peaks and valleys. And Supper’s Ready had them both. And hearing them brings back memories of those first hearings and those moments of surprise and delight.
Truth be told, “Supper’s Ready” has never been either my favorite Genesis tune or Prog Rock opus. But listening to my old vinyl versions on Foxtrot and Seconds Out took me back to my adolescent dreams of transcendent thoughts and transcendent experiences. But what struck me the most was the theatrical nature of the original Genesis performance and how much musical theatre it was. Less than a decade after the Beatles, clad in coats and ties, would bow politely after a song, Peter Gabriel tried to create a theatrical interpretation of a musical piece, pushing the boundaries of sexual and religious politeness, to name two. I wonder how much cross-pollination between Bowie and Genesis was going on at the time, or it was just in the air?
I have no idea when or if I will listen to “Supper’s Ready” again. But it was a window back to a very interesting time in popular culture and popular music. The worth of the piece is more than just the musical hi-lites, the theatrical performances, the mind-bending lyrics, or the “where was I when I heard that” moments. “Supper’s Ready” stands at the confluence of so many streams coming out of the 60s and flowing into the 70s, that it is unique in its ability to hold it all together. Love it, hate it, or indifferent to it, it dares you to ignore it. And the number of people, like Mark Hjelm, who still hold it dear, invite us to one more listen.
This side dish is served once again.
– Todd Johnson
[The Genesis album, Foxtrot, which included the memorable 20 plus minute song, “Supper’s Ready” was released October 6, 1972. Thus, on or around the 40th Anniversary— Oct. 6, 2012– East Portland Blog is saluting the band, the album and the song and asks you to join with us in celebrating this auspicious occasion by sharing your comments below.]
